Ghost Riders Return
by Kandaluvr
Summary: Arthur has lived in Nashville for almost five years now, and it has been relatively peaceful. Unless you count his reckless brother… or even more reckless friends, or even the Sheriff and his Twin brother. All was well… until more creatures decided to rear their ugly heads, and starts attacking the townspeople. Can they save the day? Even after the sheriff goes missing?
1. Chapter 1

It had been five wonderful years since Arthur Kirkland had moved from England to America. IT had been five years since he had met the Nashville, Tennessee Sherriff, Alfred F. Jones for the first time. Four and a half years since Alfred F. Jones and his Twin brother Matthew W. Jones had defeated the horrible monsters called 'Ice Breathers' and his brother, Allistor Kirkland had moved into his own home after the reconstruction of the said town.

All was well it seemed, or perhaps even brilliant. Nothing major had happened since and peace was a relative thing. Alfred and Matthew were great leaders to the town, and the town was thriving now on new members and people passing through in migration. The Nords, or the five brothers who ran the wood crafts store had never done better in their business and the Ironsmiths could all say the same. Many horses were being bred and sold left and right, providing money for the stable owners, Felix and Toris.

Arthur saw much business as well, for he was the best doctor within a hundred miles. People would travel from other towns to receive treatment from the well-trained doctor and he happily obliged to the requests.

As said before, all was well.

"Hey Ace!" A voice called as the said doctor was walking down the street. He turned to meet the cerulean eyes of Alfred Jones himself. "Where ya headed partner? I was just getting' ready for some lunch!"

"Just to the smithy to drop off some medicine for Allistor. He worked himself to illness again. Vladimir and I keep telling him to sleep, but he refuses!"

"Well that's unfortunate! He's the best we've got… oh heck. Don't tell anyone I said that." The man frowned. "But hey, he's a big bug around these parts, so who can blame him?"

"I most certainly can," Arthur huffed, reaching for the spare key he had to the smithy door before they were able to reach it. "That stubborn goat won't listen to a word I say."

"Haha, well he is yer brother."

"Shut it, you." Arthur sighed, shoving the key through the lock and twisting violently. But before he pushed the door open, Alfred grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Wh- bloody hell! Let me go!"

"Just a sec, Ace. I got sommat ta tell ya." Alfred said slowly. Arthur stared at him in awe.

"Well? Spit it out."

"Ah- well… yer… someone ta ride the river with Ace… and…"

"Just say it!"

"I…"

"What?"

"I mean… I…"

The Sherriff was blushing like a bride! What on earth was wrong with the stupid… was he shaking?

"You… what?" Arthur asked… looking up at the man with curiosity, and intrest. Was he trying to confess something? Was he ill?!

"I lo-"

* * *

Arthur sat up with a start. He looked around his room for a moment before leaping out of bed and splashing the spigot and coating his face with the cool substance. He shook his head and looked up at the cracked mirror on the wall.

"What was all that about?!" He demanded of himself.

He must be going mad.

* * *

Arthur hadn't slept for the rest of the night after that, he couldn't. His gut told him that something was wrong and he tried to convince himself that it was just because of that wretched dream- which he would NEVER speak of to ANYONE- and he didn't want to have another one.

He spent the early morning crushing up some herbs and then blending mixes. He wasted time reading some old book he had brought from London, and then wrote in his own little journal for a while. He was tired, but not enough to go back to sleep at this point. He decided, that despite the ungodly hour of it, he would go for a walk.

Pulling on his favorite coat, he tugged his loafers on and went outside. He talked with a few travelers who were passing through the town for food and water, giving them directions on occasion and making small conversation about weather and such. Unfortunately, not many people were out at this time and he quickly decided that he was too cold to stay out much longer. Turning, he went to walk back to his own home.

He waited until later in the afternoon to go and visit his stupid brother. After all, he was in high demand for his skill at smithing and most likely would be busy all morning. He was nearly working himself to illness and he found it best to deliver some herbs while he was at it.

"Hey Ace!" A voice called as the said doctor was walking down the street. He turned to meet the cerulean eyes of Alfred Jones himself. Arthur froze, recognizing the situation instantly. "Where ya headed partner? I was just getting' ready for some lunch!"

"J-Just to the smithy to drop off some medicine for Allistor. He worked himself to illness again. Vladimir and I keep telling him to sleep, but he refuses!" He answered truthfully, hopefully he would go away...

"Well that's unfortunate! He's the best we've got… oh heck. Don't tell anyone I said that." The man frowned. "But he's a big bug around these parts, so who can blame him?"

"I most certainly can," Arthur huffed, still panicking at the Deja-vu of the situation at hand. HE HAD JUST DREAMED ABOUT THIS THE NIGHT BEFORE- breathing, he reached for the spare key he had to the smithy door before they were able to reach it. "That stubborn goat won't listen to a word I say."

"Haha, well he is yer brother." Same line again…

"Shut it, you." Arthur sighed, shoving the key through the lock and twisting violently. But before he pushed the door open, Alfred grabbed his hand and stopped him.. He glanced at the Sherriff wearily, fearing for what was to come. "What are you doing?"

"Uh- Partner… there's a bee." The Sherriff said, pulling the doctor's hand away from the handle. Arthur's eyes snapped open wide and he looked at the door, sure enough, a large, buzzing yellow jacket was hovering right where he had just almost put his hand.

"Oh my- thank you." Arthur said, using the package he had to brush it away, dodging the swerving path of the insect as if flew away. He pulled the handle and stepped inside, having to duck under the doorway for its shortness. Poor Alfred hit his hat on the top and knocked it clean off his head.

"Aww… short doors…" He sighed, leaning to pick up his hat off of the ground. "There should be a rule about doors bein' at least six feet." The Sherriff Grumbled. Arthur just laughed in response and moved forward into the smithy.

"Allistor! Where are you, wanker?" Arthur called, looking around the small room. It was no bigger than ten by ten feet, but there was a bed, an oven and a spigot just in the corner. This, of course, was Allistor's living area just behind the actual area where he worked. "He must be in the shop." The blonde doctor sighed, pushing the Sherriff out of the small room and back outside. He locked the door adequately and started to circle the place to the front. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head so that he could wipe the sweat formed by the heat of the noon sun that had risen relentlessly above them. Once they reached the front door, which was up on a stone opening so that the place didn't catch fire, Arthur pushed the stubborn door opened and peeked around inside, checking to make sure he wouldn't burn himself upon entry. "Allistor? Are you in here?" He asked, looking around and stepping inside. The place was silent, no sign of any living creature anywhere. He was about to step forward, but Alfred stopped him by putting his arm in front of his chest.

"Sommat aint right." Alfred said lowly, glancing around. His glass spectacles caught the light streaming from the window to the side and made his eyes glint. "Do you feel that?"

"I can't sense anything, no." Arthur said with a frown. What did Alfred mean? Nothing seemed out of place here… except for the eerie silence. He glanced around, trying to pick up on whatever uneasiness Alfred had found. He sighed and looked around again, walking behind the large table that Allistor used for shaping the metal. He gasped instantly.

Allistor was lying on the ground, a large amount of blood pooled around his head. His eyes were closed and his limbs were sprawled about as if he had fallen.

"Alfred! Get some water!"

"Gotcha!" Alfred looked around, seeing a (probably freezing) bucket full of water and grasped it, giving it to the doctor. Arthur threw the water over his brother's head and watched in a mix of satisfaction and worry as his brother gasped awake, sitting up and almost hitting his head on the counter.

"Oi watch it- Artie! Alfred! Wha-?!"

"What happened? We came in to find you passed out on the floor!" Arthur demanded, helping his soaked brother stand. Allistor sputtered, trying to remember and gain his footing at the same time.

"Something or someone came in las' night and attacked! Ye wouldn't believe the fight if ye were there! Vlad was fightin' up a storm- oh gods, where's Vlad?! Vlad and I were just smithin' last night and some crazy person came through and attacked! Didn't see nothin' he just came through, beat Vlad half ta death and left! Where's Vlad! Artie, 'ave ye seen Vladimir?" Arthur took note of the repetition of the his brother's statements. He must have taken quite the hit to his head. A concussion probably.

"He fell asleep in the stables." Alfred said. "Mattie 'n I saw him this mornin' when we fed Ave and Lib. Covered him with a blanket again too."

"Did you make sure he was alive?"

"What? No, but he was breathin'. And he looked fit as a fiddle. He was layin' on his stomach in the hay again, just like he always does when he don't make it back ta one o' our places before sunrise." Alfred shrugged, ripping more rope off of the Scottish man.

"Well keep an eye on him, would ye mate? I be worried 'bout wha's goin' on round here. Vlad fought like a monster, he did! Hit me on the head that other fella!" The man said, brushing off the last of the binding on him. He tried to sit up on his own, but the concussion kept him from doing so. Arthur and Alfred looked at each other shortly before the Sherriff took hold of Allistor's arms. He gently wrapped them around his own neck and carried the Scot. They quickly left the shop and made way to Arthur's home.

* * *

"Did ya see anythin' of whoever attacked you?" Alfred asked seriously, watching Allistor intently as Arthur checked him over with a trained eye for any injury and wiping the blood from his hands and face. "How didja get that blood all over ya?"

"No, I didn't get even a peek. Vlad was fighting the thing before I could. Bashed my 'ead righ' in! Ye should 'ave seen it. As fer the blood, It's from gettin' hit in the nose. Bled like a fountain."

"Head wounds." Arthur muttered with a sigh. They always bled so much…

"So I guess we'll be waitin' ta see what happened when Vlad wakes up?" Alfred sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face. It had been ages since anything had happened to require his attentions, and he would have preferred it stayed that way. Matthew was going to have a fit when he told him.

"ARTHURRRRR-!" a voice said from outside, knocking heavily on the door. Arthur looked up and sighed, recognizing the boy's voice immediately, or well… not so much a boy anymore…

"Peter." He said opening the door, and smiling at the fifteen year old that was standing in front of him. The child had grown to be almost as tall as he was already, and looked much older, having lost quite a bit of the baby fat. The perfect image of a boy between hay and grass. But Arthur's smile fell instantly as he saw the tears building up in the boy's blue eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" The poor boy looked as if he had just run about the entire town, and his breath was coming in heaving gasps.

"M-My Uncle! Uncle Matthias was attacked last night! We found him outside the gate!" Peter cried, tears streaming down his face. "Matthew and Pa's bringing him… but he wanted me to come and tell you!"

Arthur looked at Alfred and Allistor for a split second before turning to the child. "You did well Peter. Get Gilbert if you can. Tell him I need the strongest alcohol he has, alright? And let Ludwig know I'll pay them back in full when I see them."

"Yes sir! Please save my uncle!" Peter was holding back the tears that were fighting to fall as he turned on his heel and went to do as told. Just as he left, the good doctor and the Sherriff both saw the two mentioned men coming towards the clinic with another figure held between them.

Alfred rushed forward to help his brother and friend, while Allistor quickly jumped off the table so the injured man could be laid upon it. Arthur led the four back inside and rested the blonde head of Matthias Køhler on the end of the table, leaving his legs to hang off from the knees.

"Do you know what got him?" Arthur asked, immediately beginning to look over the man in question.

What looked like four parallel claw marks had been torn down the man's torso repeatedly, while something that looked like bite marks lined every bit of his collarbone and neck. He was breathing in gurgling gasps and his eyes were wide open, bright blue orbs rolling back in his head. But Arthur could tell he wasn't truly awake. He had lost too much blood to truly be lucid at this point, but he was awake enough to feel every prod and prick of pain that was being presented.

Berwald shook his head, ever silent. But Matthew answered. "Looks like we're dealin' with wolves. But… funny thing is that there aint no tracks."

* * *

**HIIIIIIII! KANDALUVR IS A CRUEL MISTRESS! WELCOME TO PART TWO OF THE GHOST RIDER SERIES. I really appreciate you reading it! It should make a bit of sense if you haven't read part one, but I do suggest that you read it if you want to understand everything. NOT PUSHING IT! But it's your choice. :) Thanks for reading~!**


	2. Chapter 2

"I say we pull out all the stops. Guards, guns, everything." Sadiq Adnan said, rubbing his tired eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

The town hall was packed full of men who wanted the newfound problem of Nashville to be solved as quickly and efficiently as possible. Panic had set in the town as soon as the news was heard. Everyone knew Matthias, and how he was easily one of the strongest in the town. Speculation said that he had been 'caught off guard' and the like, to soothe the weary listeners. They had family and friends to protect from whatever it was that was out there. Alfred and Matthew stood up front, taking suggestions and answering questions, even trying to quell fights that threatened to break out over the matter.

It was chaos.

"Me too. Ta the extent that we can afford, we at least want the people to feel safe… we could have two patrol guards at a time all night. It's tedious, but what else can we do?" Matthew looked at his brother.

"The mayor said ta use everyone… but I told him ta shut his bazoo. We can't be sendin' kids out ta fight sommat that took down Matthias of all people." Alfred sighed. "Truth o' the matter is, I'm at sea about all this, cuz there's a lot at risk if anythin' goes wrong. We already have ta account fer the travelers that keep comin' through fer minin'. I don't want ta put anyone more than necessary out there. "

"We'll send the toughest we've got then." Tino said with a shrug. "I mean, we've seen some hellish stuff around these parts, might as well use what we can if we don't want to be adding to the bone orchard."

Everyone agreed.

* * *

Lukas, the third oldest of the Nordic brothers (or the Nords, as everyone seemed to call them) had instantly been at the front door of Arthur's place as soon as he heard the news. He had literally walked in, yelled at the poor, wounded man, and then sat in a stool at the other side of the room, watching his brother intently.

Peter sat on the floor next to him.

Matthias, well he was indeed an odd stick. He got loud when drunk, and was overly cheerful all of the time. But despite that, he had proven time and time again that he wasn't one to trifle with. During the ice-breather incident, and many other occasions, he had proven to be just as strong and stubborn as the Sherriff and his brother. So the attack on the poor Dane left the town in hysterics. Especially given that it was a wolf, by all proof of the matter.

"So are you close?" Arthur asked, having not communed about family matters with Lukas, who was, he liked to think, a good friend. (He was knowledgeable in the magic arts along with Vladimir and himself)

"Far from it." He said simply. He was glaring daggers at the unconscious man while Arthur stitched (yet another) wound on his chest. The poor man was going to take weeks and possibly months to heal completely. "He's kind of the Pa of the house."

"Really? I would have thought Berwald was more along that role." Arthur admitted. Lukas shook his head, peeking down at Peter, who had fallen asleep against his leg.

"He's too quiet." He shrugged. "Tino is the one who actually disciplines Peter when he does something wrong." Arthur nodded in understanding and snipped the thread, throwing the rest of it to the ground and picking up the spool and needle.

"Looks like I'm done here. The best we can do is get him to a cot, let him rest and keep track of his fever. Allistor will be staying here as well, so they may as well share the downstairs for now. Ah- if you want to stay overnight, you can of course."

Lukas shook his head. "Someone has to keep the household in order. I'll let everyone know that he's alive though." He said, tapping Peter's head gently. The teenager looked up groggily and mumbled a 'what' at him. "Come on, time to get home. Your Pa's going to be worried about you."

Peter snapped up and looked at Arthur, who was scrubbing his hands with hot water and small bits of soap. "Did Uncle Matthias die? Is he-"

"No, no lad. He's alive." Arthur smiled weakly. "He'll be good as new once he breaks his fever."

Arthur looked up as the door opened, seeing Alfred Jones walk in. To his surprise, the man was soaked to the bone. He hadn't realized that it was raining up until then. He had been focused on fixing up Matthias that he hadn't paid any attention to the sounds outside.

"Uncle Alfred!" Peter said, leaping up and hugging his said uncle around his torso. "Uncle Matthias is alive!"

"Of course he is partner! He'll be right as rain when all this is over!" Alfred said with a grin, returning the hug. He looked up, nodding politely at Lukas upon noticing his presence in the room. "Lukas."

"Sherriff." The smaller blonde nodded back. "How did the meeting go?"

"We got patrols ready, they consist mostly of me an' Matt." He sighed. "Berwald, Ludwig, Gilbert and Tino all decided to join… Mayor was bein' a right pain in the kazoo as usual, and Emil said he would, But I told him I'd rather he didn't."

"No, Absolutely not." Lukas said stiffly, looking coldly at the Sherriff. "I won't let him."

"I know, Ace. That's why I told 'im no. It's too dangerous. 'Sides, Heracles and Sadiq said they would too. So the patrols should last the night without anyone losin' too much sleep." Alfred explained. "Matt and I have second watch… Berwald and Tino are first. So I'll be up and around in a few hours'r so."

"I'll take a watch as well, with anyone." Lukas said, looking at the Sherriff.

"I dunno if-"

"Let me." Lukas said, as if that were the most final thing he had ever said. Alfred sighed, tugging his soaked, red handkerchief around his neck nervously.

"I'll see what I can do. But I need ta get ta Matthew about that one, he came up with the plan." He explained with a gulp.

"Understood. I'll be taking Peter Home then. Good day to you Arthur, Sherriff." Lukas said abruptly, pushing Peter along in front of him towards the door. "Please keep us updated on Matthias' condition."

"To you as well." Arthur said with a nod. "And I will."

* * *

It was long after dark by then, and Berwald was feeling uneasy. Of course, it was no mystery or secret that Matthias and he didn't exactly cooperate at the best of times… but he still was his brother. And he worried for his son Peter as well, because Peter was close with Matthias. They got into trouble all of the time together. In fact, it had been Peter who found his uncle outside the gates because he had wanted to find his uncle in order to pick on Arthur (he would guess) as usual.

The giant of a Swede shifted the gun at his side with a sigh, hearing and seeing nothing. He glanced at his brother, Tino, who was leaning against the front gain, twirling his gun in his hand with expert grace.

"I'm not hearing anything. Are you?" Tino asked, looking at his older brother. Berwald shook his head, still keeping his hand on his gun. A jolt in his gut suddenly urged him into weary actions. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

"GET DOWN!" Tino suddenly screeched, looking over Berwald's shoulder with a glint in his sharp eyes. Berwald instantly did as told, and felt the air rush over him as something large jumped at him, but he shouted as something tore at his arm, rendering the left hand useless for shooting. Tino took one- two- shots at the figure, hitting the marks perfectly. Berwald rolled to his feet and aimed his own gun, trying to steady his aim. Tino leaped back as the attacker leaped at him as well.

"Tino-!" Berwald started to dash forward, but was blocked by another newcomer.

"Watch yer hat partner!" Matthew shouted, taking an expert shot at the enemy. "You'll get hit if yer much slower!"

"Don't be mean Matt! This guy's got Game, Challengin' us." Alfred said, blowing the smoke from the barrel of his own revolver. "Get ready ta go at it again you two, we're puttin' an end ta this." He grasped Tino's arm and helped him up from where he had tripped over his own feet in the midst of the insane moment. Matthew went over to Berwald to help him.

"Thanks Meester Alfred." Tino said, keeping his gun ready. "This guy's fast. Barely grazed him."

"That's impossible." Matthew muttered, keeping in mind the man's flawless aim and precision. He continued to tie a spare kerchief over Berwald's wound. "How could he dodge that?"

"Aight, put yer hands up and come in nice and quiet like." Alfred said, aiming the black gun at the attacker. "Don't care a continental what you havta say, yer coming with us." He stepped forward and kept his aim up.

The giant man finally stood from where he had been knocked over by Alfred's attack. Matthew's eyes flashed in realization and he stepped forward to stop his brother, but was too late. The Giant man leaped forward, slashing at the Sherriff with what looked like… claws.

"He aint human-!" Matthew cursed, leaping forward towards his brother. He swiped and shot at the thing, frightened that he might hit his brother, but was knocked aside by the giant hands tipped with ivory. He cried out as he crashed into Berwald and Tino, knocking the smaller out by contact of his head to the hard ground. Berwald cursed as the wind was knocked out of him.

Flames burst from out of nowhere, making Berwald shield his younger brother from the onslaught. He looked up as his vision adjusted to the light to see one flaming skeleton with a red handkerchief tied around his neck. He was being held in the air by the beast's hand around his neck, and he was using his own burning hand to try and support his weight and avoid breakage. The beast cried out as his skin caught aflame and he dropped the Sherriff to the ground, where he instantly turned back to normal with the sickening sounds of muscle and skin growing back rapidly. Matthew took aim and fired again, hitting the giant beast right in the forehead. It howled and started to charge forward, but Alfred reached out and gripped its ankles, tripping it.

Another shadow came out of nowhere, and slashed the beast right across its face. It screeched again, even louder and threw its arms out in a wide attack, catching Alfred's savior in its hit.

"Vlad!" Alfred shouted, realizing who it was that was just thrown right into the gate that protected the town. It splintered and cracked around his body as he hit, small amounts of blood leaking from his mouth where his tooth had nicked it.

"Alfred-!" Matthew shouted, letting loose another barrage of bullets. Berwald joined him and protected Tino from the onslaught. Alfred ducked as another wild hit was aimed at him, just barely missing it by half a hair. He jumped up and did an impressive flip over the beast's shoulder and head, shooting right below him and taking aim for the things head.

But it caught on, and reached up. The giant thing plucked Alfred right out of the air and slammed him head-first into the ground. Matthew roared in rage and rushed forward, protecting his brother while a great ball of flame took over his own form, bright blue handkerchief becoming his only form of identification.

**"Ghost Riders." **The beast said, looking down at the twins in fury. Another burst of flames indicated that Alfred had recovered enough to join the fight once more. Berwald glared on, protecting his brother by standing over him, gun at the ready. A feeling of odd safety came over him as he looked upon the two brothers, their flaming forms standing tall between he, Tino and the beast.

"**_Backdown._**" The red Rider said, pointing his flaming barrel at the attacker.

The beast said nothing, but started another onslaught of teeth and claws, attempting to tear the two skeleton men to shreds. The two dodged and ducked out of the way, only taking a blow or two in between.

Vladimir sat up from where he had landed and looked around. He leaped up dizzily and went over to Berwald and Tino, making sure that they were alright.

"You need to get your brother out of here." Vladimir said, once he was sure that he had only suffered a bump to the head. "I'll cover you."

"But-"

"Just go!" Vladimir hissed. Berwald gulped and nodded, taking his younger brother into his arms and shifting him onto his back. He began taking off back towards the gate. He'd had enough experience with the supernatural to know that it was his time to leave. He didn't even glance back as he slipped through the gates, and ran straight for Arthur's place.

* * *

Arthur had been watching out his door when the sounds of a fight had echoed through the town. He kept intense watch- especially when he saw the faint glow of fire coming from the other side of the gate.

Alfred and Matthew.

So whatever it was, it wasn't a normal wolf. If Alfred and Matthew had to transform to fight the things, then it wasn't human, whatever it was. Grinding his teeth, Arthur turned back and went inside. He looked over Matthias again, checked to see if his fever went down, and then went to check on Allistor, who had fallen asleep hours before.

"Allistor, wake up." He said slowly, tapping his brother's shoulder. "Allistor you wanker… the town is out of ale."

"What?!" the Scott instantly sat up at that. He looked around wildly, but his face fell into a grimace when he saw his younger brother. "Oh, ye know, that was rude."

"Whatever do you mean. Anyway, a fight has broken out outside the fence."

"Really?" Allistor mumbled. "Guns and all?"

"Even the riders."

"What?!" Allistor jumped up, swayed on the spot for a moment, then dashed to the door. He glanced outside from there, and sure enough, the glow of the riders was seen. "We haven't seen them in ages. Sommat isn' right about that."

"Of course not, why do you think I told you, nitwit." Arthur sighed. He was about to emphasize on his brother's lack of attention towards detail when he spotted a silhouette running towards them. He squinted just enough to see that it was Berwald, carrying Tino on his back!

"Get inside, what happened?" He said, helping lower Tino to the floor, (all cots were currently in use) While Allistor sat down from another dizzy spell.

"Somethin' attacked us. Not sure what. Hit his head." Berwald said, speaking, quite possibly, more than he had in a given month.

"Sit down, He looks like he'll be alright… maybe woozy." Arthur assured, looking at Tino's eyes and checking his pulse. "You're going to need stitching for that." He sighed, seeing the Swede's arm. "No woodwork for a while, you."

Berwald seemed visibly upset by that.

Another bang from outside and everyone was watching out the door, that hadn't been closed properly. The glow of the Riders had dimmed dramatically, and Arthur quickly deduced that one of them had reversed the transformation.

But then all was calm. No sound came from the fray, and the fiery glow had died down completely. Arthur looked at Berwald and Allistor, then looked back out. He heard the distinct creaks of the gate being opened, and then closed again. Other townsfolk who had been watching, quickly ushered their children and wives into their respective homes and the chatter died down.

Another figure was heading towards them, and Arthur quickly dashed forward when he saw that it was Vladimir, limping beneath the weight of Matthew W Jones. He caught the other half of his friend and helped them inside. Matthew was completely out and Vladimir looked as if he had been through a grinder.

"What happened?!" Arthur demanded as they rested Matthew onto the kitchen Table. Vladimir took a moment to catch his strength before looking at the good doctor in the eye.

"Alfred's gone."

**DUN DUN DUUUNNNN**

**So what do you think! Please drop by a review~! If you can guess what they're dealing with, I will officially be shocked.**

**Sorry that took so long. But if you want a set timing, I would venture that FRIDAYS are the best day for an update for me. So if you're into the whole "I want to know when to expect it" thing, I would tell you that. **

**THANKS FOR READING IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME~! HUGS!**


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean- he's gone?" Arthur asked, eyes wide as he held on to the wound on Berwald's arm.

"Well, the thing attacks, we fought it, I sent Berwald and Tino away, and then he and the stupid beast disappeared!" Vladimir said, leaning back against the wall, holding his head in his hands. It was throbbing horribly and his hands were coated in the blood from when he had swiped at the monster in question.

"What was _it?_" Allistor asked, sitting down to ease his wooziness. Vladimir looked at him, but ended up cringing from the light from the candle in his eyes. Allistor frowned. "Was it a werewolf?"

"A werewolf? I haven't heard of any problems in ages." Arthur said looking up. Berwald looked as lost as Peter when he was trying to make furniture.

"Werewolves?" he asked. "They're real?"

"If you can really question the reality of werewolves and you are personal friends of two men that can burn off their flesh at will, I am utterly impressed." Vladimir said with another groan. Berwald nodded, well it was hard to argue with that. "But we are not dealing with a werewolf… we have a much worse issue at hand."

"What?" Arthur asked, tying off the bandage. "What could possibly be worse than an angry werewolf?"

"Hell Hounds." Vladimir said darkly.

* * *

Darkness. That was all he could really feel.

No, scratch that, he was cold too. Freezing! As if… wait.

Alfred's blue eyes snapped open and he gasped. He was in a giant pool of water, and was floating. Or at least he had been up until he woke up. Panicking, he quickly righted himself as he started to drop like a stone in the pool. Splashing and kicking, he rose above the water and gasped painfully for air when he broke the surface. Keeping up his tread, he looked around and met nothing but water for as long as he could see, which wasn't very far, only about five feet or so.

Twisting, he looked up to try and find a source of light, but found nothing. Judging by the lack of any vision, Alfred guessed that he was in a cave of some sort or kind. He tried to calm his racing heart, but found that doing so brought his attentions to a sharp, searing pain in his side. He used one hand to touch it and then lifted the hand to his face, bringing it to mere centimeters away from his face. It was a blur to him, and it was then he noticed that his glasses were gone.

That metallic smell was not water.

Twisting and turning again, trying to find a way out, Alfred peered around, but couldn't see anything. He was stuck in the pitch black ocean of water that left a horrible taste in his mouth and made him sputter.

But Matt, where was Matthew!?

"Matt? Mattie, where are ya? Are ya here?"

Laughter suddenly filled the area, echoing horribly and leaving Alfred's ears ringing. He blinked rapidly as a sudden light from a torch lit the water surface around him. Squinting, the lost Sherriff looked up to see a very blurry figure above him. Cursing his horrid vision, he tried to examine as much as he could of the visitor, but didn't get much of a chance before it started talking.

"Ghost rider, My brother, welcome." It said, voice deep and rumbling. It left a strange shivering feeling in the Sherriff's chest as he listened to it, like the noise was going right through him.

"Who are you?" Alfred coughed past the water lapping at his face. "Where am I?"

"Oh, it's no place you would be familiar with. "And as for your first question, I am a kindred spirit. A man cursed by the devil through the hands of another."

"That doesn't answer my question." Alfred spat. "Tell me who you are!"

"I have no name." It said coolly, lifting the torch in its hand higher so that it lit his face. Alfred squinted and realized that he indeed, had no clue who this was. His face was far too white and pale and glowing for him to know who it was. "However, I am very interested in you, Alfred F. Jones. Twin riders… That's unheard of."

"I don't know how it works. Yer the first bein' I've met that knows anythin' about us." Alfred shot back. "What are you? You haven't told me anythin'. Are ya a rider too?"

"Ha! I'm no weakling Ghost Rider like yourself. No." The creature laughed again, as if he had just told the funniest joke in the world. "However, I did hear of your defeat of the Ice breathers. I had been having trouble with them for years… and it interested me."

"Shut yer Bazoo! What do ya want from me? Where's my brother?"

"Oh he's fine! Your annoying Vampire friend got him away before I could get to him." He said with a sigh. "You're whole town is quite annoying really. That man on the first night! So sad too… He'd be either dead or turned by now. Would have made a wonderful family man, given how protective he was."

"You son of a-!"

Alfred was cut off as the man suddenly swooped down, and covered his mouth with his much, much warmer hand. He grasped the front of the man's soaking shirt and glared with bright yellow eyes into his own blue. "I'm just doing my job here on this earth. To cleanse it of all evil and protect it from the likes of you." He sneered, holding the torch close to Alfred's hair, catching his hair aflame. Alfred shouted in surprise as his head was forced into its Rider form… but the water prevented complete transformation.

"So helpless… despite your fearsome looks, and your cries for justice, you and your brother are just matches for igniting chaos. _Devil's spawn._" Alfred stared back with his flaming eyes and held the gaze of his assailant.

Suddenly, the man jerked back away, dropping the Sherriff back into the salty water, making the fire that had burned away his flesh sizzle and dissolve. Alfred coughed and sputtered as his face grew back and water rushed into his mouth and throat.

"Well I'm afraid someone is knocking. See you soon- Sherriff."

It was then that the Sherriff was able to see the man's face clearly and recognize it.

Oh.

He hadn't expected that.

* * *

"Arthur, there's gonna be scuttlebutt goin' around here if Alfred doesn't show up." Lukas, who had appeared only moments earlier, said grimly. "As much as I hate to say it, he and Matthew are the backbone of the place. We might even get problems with bandits now too if any find out that our Sherriff's gone."

"I know." Arthur sighed, slumping in his chair. Vladimir had fallen asleep only moments earlier, as the sun had risen above the horizon. He glanced at Matthew, who was still out on the Table and Tino, who was too dizzy to say anything even remotely coherent. Peter was sitting by his uncle's bedside with his Father, who was hugging the boy with one arm in comfort. Allistor, who's head injury seemed to be affecting him more as time passed on, was by Tino. They were having a conversation that made no sense whatsoever to any of the room's occupants, but they seemed to think it held relevance. Vladimir had passed out face-first underneath the kitchen table where he had been sitting before. "It's a mess." Arthur sighed in defeat.

"Yeah- petunias should _never _be put with pasta. A horrible bouquet to give a squirrel." Tino said with a nod. Allistor agreed with a very horrible imitation of the German "Ja" that ended up sounding more like "EEEEYYAAAh."

"But even then… if we can get Matthew to wake up, we can convince everyone that he went out to check with the other towns if they were having wolf problems." Lukas said, rolling his eyes.

"We could do that…" Arthur nodded. "But I'm not sure if we can get this coffee boiler off his arse in time." He sighed. "He's really been Dragged out."

"Yeah…" Lukas sighed. There was an awkward silence between the two for an amount of time that allowed Allistor and Tino to discover the floating dust in the air and start trying to catch it.

"What all do you know about Hell hounds?" Arthur suddenly asked. Vladimir said what they were, but he didn't seem to know much more past that." The Norwegian nodded.

"I don't know as much as I'd like… but Tino and Berwald do." He said looking over at Tino and Allistor.

Tino was lying fast asleep in Allistor's lap while Allistor attempted (very badly) to braid the blonde's hair. Lukas and Arthur looked at each other with grim demeanor.

"Berwald it is."

* * *

"We call 'em Grims… Kyrkogrms… they're spirits that protec' church's and things." Berwald said with a frown.

"Really?" Arthur frowned. "how does that work? Hell hounds protecting churches?"

"Well, see, back 'n the day, people woul' bury a black dog alive… and it's spiri' woul' protect the church from th' devil." Berwald explained, as if struggling to find the right words. (It should be known that he was the worst in the family at speaking English, because he had to learn it later in life than the others. Matthias too, but he was a freak of nature.)

"That's… interesting." Arthur leaned back in his chair. "So why would they be coming after our town?"

"We should ask the Gospel sharp… he might know more about it than anyone else." Lukas suggested.

"Hmm… yes. Roderich might know." Arthur agreed. "Well then… I suppose we ought to go and see to it as soon as possible. It's early, but they won't mind. The more we know, the sooner we find Alfred."

"Don't forget to salt the horses on your way out!"

"Shut up Allistor."

* * *

It was raining once again when the three left the house. Peter had agreed to stay and keep an eye on things there, and make sure Allistor or Tino didn't do anything too ridiculous. Berwald was reluctant to leave his son alone like that, but knew the boy was reliable.

"Brother Roderich! Oi- open up!" Lukas sighed, ramming on the door heavily. The thick, wooden doors were solidly locked, but even then they shook with how hard the blonde was ramming on their surface.

"Coming! Coming!" A voice said from the other side of the door. The three- in their hooded cloaks and coats- listened as metal clanked against metal and a lock was slid open.

"Oh please do come in! You must be freezing!"

The three ducked inside and walked forward. The church really was a beautiful place, despite it being made entirely of wood (just like everything else) the interior had been built by a man- (none could really remember the name of him it was plenty long ago) who was originally a ship-builder. The inside had arches and wood bent to fit around the place and met in a gothic arch in the center. The altar up front was intricately carved with extreme attention to detail and talent. No one knew who made it, but it was as old as the town was.

The three turned around as the doors slammed heavily shut again.

In front of them, a man stood, about Lukas's height, maybe a few centimeters taller. He had dark brown hair that stuck up like an antenna in the front. His eyes were hard to see in the dim light of the candle holder that the man held. He had a white sleeping gown on and a dark blanket draped over his shoulders.

"Oh dear, you look tired. Do sit down."

"Thank you." Arthur said with a nod. They sat down in the front bench of the chapel and watched as Roderich lit more candles up in the front. Then he turned and looked at them.

"What brings you here so late- or early?" the man asked, sitting down on the bench at the other end. "It's not very often that people come to visit this early you know."

"Sorry about that sir, we just needed some help with some information." Arthur explained. "We were hoping you would have some answers for us."

"Oh, do go on." Roderich said with a nod. "what is it you need to know?"

"Grims… or Hell Hounds. Do you know much about them?" Lukas asked, getting straight to the point as he usually did.

"Hell Hounds?" Roderich looked up towards the altar as if in thought. "Yes, I have learned about them from my grandfather. There was much lore about them that he told me about."

"What can you tell us?" Berwald asked slowly.

"Well lets see… They started out as what you said, Church Grims. When they built a new church, they would bury a pure-black hound at the north side of the grounds. It would stay as a guardian spirit, to keep out any forms of satanic threat. "

"So… it's meant to protect the church from the devil?"

"Basically, yes." The Priest explained. "But to a more elaborate tale, it is said that they also strive to protect entire territories. They guard the graveyards and bell towers as well. At least, that's what I was told. If one was to be attacked or even just hear its cry… well it's normally an omen of death."

The three looked at each other, and Arthur was about to speak, but was interrupted by the Gospel Sharp.

"Why do you ask?"

"We think… we might have one on our hands. But we aren't sure, we just wanted to narrow down the possibilities." Lukas said, a dark look in his eye. "But by omen of death… what happens if someone survives an attack?"

"Hmm? An odd question, well my grandfather told me that there was legend telling that Hell-hounds were converters… they only let those whom they found worthy to live… but as for the reason why, I haven't a clue." He told with a frown. "Are you sure you're alright? Is something going on?"

"No sir, like we said, we just wanted to narrow some things down." Arthur answered. "Thank you for your time, I must get back to my patients."

"Oh, yes. Well I'm glad to have been of assistance." Roderich said with a nod. "May you be blessed in your endeavors."

"Thank you, Father." Berwald said with a nod. The three started to leave, just opening the door as the Priest spoke again, gently and worridly.

"Well… do be careful. It is said that those who open themselves to the supernatural, are more prone to find it."

* * *

**Hey guys! SOrry it's late. I do apologize, I had multiple mental breakdowns doing over six essays this weekend. (All at least 6000 words it should be known) And a LOT of research is going into this tale as well. :O Yes Author does that. **

**University, Man. **

**AND HA TO THOSE WHO GUESSED WEREWOLVES... but you weren't completely wrong. I loved how assertive you guys were about it though. **

**Drop a review for your super tired author! It means the world to her! Think of it as a mental support donation. :D Tell me what you thought! Who do you think our bad guy should be? (I may or may not have decided quite yet) And how does Mattie our beloved Canadian fare? Who has our Sherriff? Why is author asking this? Why is A/N so long? Shouldn't she know? WELL YOU DECIDE DANGIT I'M GONNA GO CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Well he certainly didn't know much more than you did, Berwald." Lukas sighed, settling into the chair that he had been sitting in previously. Allistor and Tino had fallen asleep by the fireplace in the most unconventional of positions.

"That he didn't. I'm surprised he didn't go for the texts or something to help more. But it is so early in the morning, I feel we should have waited a bit."

"Mmh." Berwald nodded.

"Maybe we should ask later." Lukas suggested with a shrug. "Or I could go and ask to have a look."

"That sounds splendid." Arthur nodded. "I do wish to know what he meant by 'they are converters'. I'm worried about Matthias here… and Matthew… and…"

"Alfred." Lukas nodded. Berwald nodded from next to them.

"Bullocks! I wish Vladimir was awake to help with this- and Allistor was in his right mind." He groaned, glancing over at the screwy head duo.

"Tino too." Berwald sighed.

"Yes… well. We had better get to doing what we need to keep everyone's heads up!" Arthur said, smacking his hands on his knees as he stood. "With Alfred gone, we need to take the lead until Matthew wakes up. Keep the guard duty going and make sure no one else gets hurt."

"But if Alfred and Matthew couldn't fight them…"

"I refuse to let anything distract us from our jobs." Arthur inserted before Lukas could finish. "We are the stubbornly bull-headed town of Nashville. We will not let this get in our way." He said with a huff. "I'll let you know when Matthew wakes up. In the meantime, get!"

"You've been around Alfred too much, Arthur." Lukas laughed.

"Shut up." Arthur huffed, going to mix herbs and find bandages. "I haven't so."

* * *

Half the day passed, and in the end the three had decided to save themselves the trouble and tell people who asked the truth: Alfred had gone missing after the attack the night before. Matthew was here, but until he woke up, Arthur was, for all intents and purposes, in charge.

"How does Alfred do it every day?" Arthur sighed, leaning against his door. He had already by that afternoon, met with the mayor over some patrolling details, helped solve a problem with the food stock at the local rest, checked up with the Nords to make sure all was going well, made sure Matthew and Matthias were alright, helped build a new stable for the horses, and re-organized the patrol schedule for the able-bodied men to go on during the nights. He had also helped with some of the trading route problems that had arisen from the 'wolf problem' going on outside the gates.

Speaking of which, he was on the second watch along with- a shiver at the thought- _Francis. _He hated the thought of being stuck outside with him for hours…. But he supposed he had no choice, he was the only one that didn't have a partner at the ready. So…

Well then.

Arthur sighed as he went to check on the repairs that were being done to the gate. Where Vladimir (who had told him the night before what had happened to the gate) had been slammed against the side of it, the boards had held up relatively well. But without Matthias and Berwald running the show, the work was taking a little longer than what he liked. He had insisted that Berwald not do much of the work, but he did let him direct the others in what they were doing so that he knew it was sound. He found himself unable to trust anyone with the woodwork as much as he did Berwald and Tino, so it was left to him to keep an eye on the happenings there.

Tino, speak of the devil, was following Berwald around like a lost puppy, and Arthur had decided that it was for the best, the poor man had hit his head so hard that he wasn't sure of where he was or who anyone other than himself and Berwald were.

Peter had opted to take care of Allistor, and was doing rather well from what Arthur could tell. His rowdy brother hadn't been seen outside of the small house that served as the doctor's home. So that was good.

Arthur walked slowly back to his home, intent on getting at least a bit of shut eye before he had to go on patrol later that night. Sadiq and Heracles had volunteered to take first watch, so that was a good two hour break for him.

"Bloody hell, how does Alfred keep his energy up like this every day?" he groaned, opening his door with a sigh. Allistor was laying on the ground, peter patting his back as if in comfort. Vladimir hadn't moved at all, which was almost unsettling to the Brit.

"Peter, how are things?" he inquired. "Looks like everything is in one piece, so that's good."

"Yes! I've made sure of it!" Peter said with a grin, looking up with a grin and a thumbs-up. "Had to keep him from smashing all of your eggs though."

"What? Why?" Arthur asked, sitting down at the table, making sure not to kick the sleeping Vampire beneath it.

"He thought it would ward off demons." Peter shrugged. "I don't know what that means, so I made sure he didn't."

'Well thank heaven, Salt is the only thing that would work for that. And Salt is far too expensive to waste like that.' Arthur mused silently. "Thank you for that. He seems to have been a handful." Standing, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a few coins. "Thank you. Has your uncle moved at all?"

"Yeah- it was really weird. It was kind of like he was whining… like a puppy or something. That's when Allistor started thinking eggs would ward off Demons or something." Peter shrugged, taking the coins willingly. He looked over into the next room at his uncle, a look of worry and loss coating his face as he did. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Of course lad. He's just resting to heal up his wounds so that he can go back to being an odd stick all over again." Arthur assured the boy.

"I hope so." Peter mumbled slowly. "Well, take care, Arthur!"

"You as well, Peter. Keep your crazy family out of more trouble."

"I'll try!" Peter said cheerfully as he went out the front door. Arthur watched him go with a sinking heart. He turned to Allistor, who hadn't moved from his spot at all.

"Allistor… wake up you. Allistor." He shook his brother's shoulder gently, trying to rouse the man. "Allistoooor."

The Scot sat up with a start, nearly whacking heads with his brother, who dodged just in time.

"No one attacks the great Allistor in his sleep! There'll be-!" Arthur covered his mouth before he could shout more and dodged the wild fists that the red head was putting out.

"Allistor, it's just me." He sighed, looking into his brother's similar green eyes. Allistor seemed to recognize him after a moment and called down, the wildly afraid look in his eye dying down instantly. He slumped backwards and panted for breath.

"Scared the willies out o' me." Allistor said with a groan, carding his hand through his red locks. "My head's still fallin' off."

"I think you mean just off." Arthur said with a small smile, offering his assistance to his older brother to stand. Allistor accepted and let his younger brother grasp him from under his upper arm and heave him up to his feet.

"Allistor, what had you in such a panic with Peter earlier?" Arthur asked, hoping that Allistor remembered. "Did you remember something that could help?"

"Hell hounds, we're dealing with hell hounds, right? Hell hounds?" Allistor knew what he was talking about- or at least he was in his right mind judging by his eyes. But his formations of words- he was struggling horribly in trying to collect all of those thoughts together and forming sentences.

"Yes, we're dealing with Hell hounds." Arthur nodded, looking his older brother in the eye. "What of it, Allistor? What about the Hell hounds?"

"Bite, don't get a bite. Matthias bite?" Allistor grasped Arthur by his shoulders and shook him lightly, also seeming to use him as a support. "Bite Matthias they?"

Arthur took a moment to gather his thoughts, trying to put Allistor's words into coherent sentences.

"I don't know, I have to change his bandages however. I can look." Allistor nodded in understanding. Arthur helped him to sit down on his bed and went to Matthias.

Changing the bandages took slightly longer than usual. That was only because Arthur was making sure that none of the blonde's wounds were caused by bites. Luckily so far, most of them were healing well and looked only like claw marks, easily identified by the four parallel lines running up and down his body. He would have horrible scars when this was all over.

"I don't see any bite mark-oh." Arthur cut himself off as he unwrapped the bandages around Matthias's upper arm. The distanced crescent of a bite mark practically screamed out to him. It was the least healed thing so far, and if Arthur had not been looking for it, he never would have seen it past all of the gash marks that surrounded and covered it.

"Not good." Allistor said, coming up behind his brother. He looked out the doorway, that was opened to let in the cooler air, and out at the setting sun. "Wha's the moon tonight?"

"Full." Arthur said, subconsciously backing away from Matthias and putting an arm over Allistor's waist to hold him back or to protect him, he wasn't sure.

"Oh no."

Both brothers watched the sun sink behind the horizon, a feeling of horrible dread filling them.

Matthias's blue eyes snapped open.

* * *

Dark. That's really all it was, and for some reason, cold.

No really, it was super cold. But it shouldn't have been! Matthew hadn't felt cold in five years- since he had fought ice monsters in freezing weather. The dread in his gut seemed to grow increasingly as he fought for consciousness.

Why?

Alfred! Wait! What had happened before, they had been fighting… right? Yes- even in their rider forms. But whatever it was they were fighting had not been affected by their flames! What was it? Did he know? No- it had dropped Alfred when he had caught fire in his hand hadn't it? Yes… but after that it had been fine! It even threw Vladimir across the clearing with a punch!

Where was he now? Alfred- what had happened to Alfred? He remembered some… Looking up from where he had been knocked to the ground and then reaching out to grasp his brother's outstretched hand… and then nothing. Alfred was gone.

It was still dark, and still cold… but Matthew could hear something now… yelling? Or was that screaming? Screaming, it was definitely screaming.

_Wake up Matthew. Wake up wake up wake up wakeupwakeupwakeup… _Matthew scolded himself, he bashed his own laziness as if he were his brother in the early morning. The early mornings where nothing Alfred said was coherent… it only lasted a few minutes after waking up, so if Alfred could wake up, so could Matthew.

_WAKE UP!_

Matthew's eyes snapped open and he let out a pained gasp. He looked around, still feeling cold. He was in… Arthur's clinic? Yes, and the sun wasn't coming in from the doorway… which was opened. But where was the yelling coming from?

He turned his head lethargically to the side, making it crack and him groan at the pain that came with the movement. He felt sore and cold everywhere still and he was determined to force his body to do what it probably shouldn't be so soon after waking.

But all soreness and cold was pushed aside as he saw Allistor and Arthur standing defensively in the corner, seeming to be trying to back away from something on the other side of the room. Matthew sat upright instantly, regretting the decision as soon as he felt the pain shoot up through his upper torso. But he ignored that and turned to look at the spectical.

It was Matthias. He was crouching on the ground, and it looked as if he had fallen off of his cot in his struggles to fight pain. He was the one screaming, his worn voice crying wearily for help.

"What's going on?" Matthew cried, leaping off of his cot and in front of the brothers. "What's happening to him?"

"I don't know!" Arthur cried. "Allistor does, but he can't form a coherent statement!"

"Ugh…" Another voice came from… under the table? Matthew looked over to see Vladimir sitting up under the table, having hit his head on the underside of it.

"Vladimir? What's going on?"

"What a way to wake up… Oh no- did he get bitten by the Hell-hound? Why did no one tell me?"

"TELL US WHY THAT'S BAD IF YOU WOULD." Arthur said with as much force as he could. "WHAT DOES BEING BITTEN DO?"

"YOU GET TURNED INTO A WOLF." Vladimir said with a roar. "And not a werewolf- just a wolf! With human thought and all that- but a big, giant menacing wolf that will turn you if you get bitten by it!"

"What?!" all three men cried.

Suddenly the screams from Matthias had stopped. All four men looked over to where he had been and gasped in horror.

Because lying in the place of their blonde friend, was a giant, blonde, wolf.

"Well this isn't good." Matthew sighed heavily, putting his face in his hands.

* * *

**Heya guys! hows it going wherewasIforaweekortwo I had a LOT of homework going on, so please forgive author! She is very sorry. **

**Anyhow! Tell me what you think! Drop a review and have an awesome day!**


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